Erection apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 4, 1957 c. A. HARLAN ETAL ERECTION APPARATUS Filed July 2o, 1955 June 4, 1957 c. A. HARLAN ETAL 2,794,687

ERECTION APPARATUS Filed July 20, 1953 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS CAMPBELL ALLEN HARLAN ATTORNEYS United States ERECTION APPARATUS Campbell .Allen Harlan, Birmingham, and .lohn M. Harlan, Detroit, Mich.

Application July zo, 1953, serai-Nb. 'ssa-107 s claims. (Cl. 304-2) The present invention relates to apparatus intended to facilitate the erection or assmebly of overhead structure. .A typical example is in the mounting ofgr-ecessed lighting xtures into ceiling recesses.

It -is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus intended to facilitate the mounting of over- .head devices characterized by the provision Yof substantially universal adjustment so as to bring about registration .between the devices and the supporting structure therefor.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a movable carriage having means thereon for elevating a device and for adjusting the device .universally in a horizontal plane so as to'effect its registration with supporting xtures.

vMore specifically, it is an object of :the present invention to provide a carriage yhaving a hollow vertical column thereon, an elongated member movable vertically in the column, means for elevating the vertical member relative tothe column, a swivel plate at the top of Isaid elongated member, a frame movable l.rectilinearly on the swivel plate, and support means movable on the frame in a direction transverse to `the direction of movement of the frame.

Still more specifically, it is an object of the lpresent .invention to-provide apparatus as described in the preceding paragraph in which the support means comprises a pair of support members each of which is independently adjustable on the frame in a direction ytransverse to the direction of movement of the frame on the swivel plate.

lt is a feature of the present invention to provide antifriction means facilitating movement of the frame on the `swivel plate and movement of the supportmeans on the frame which includes guards designed to vprevent separation between the parts.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially lwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: i

Figure l is an elevational view of the erection apparams.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the Vapparatus on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the spring means associated with the Vvertical elongated member,

Ywith parts in section.

cylindrical pocket 46 therein.

2,794,687 Patented June 4, 1957 Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line 10-10, Figure 9.

The apparatus comprises a carriage 10 consisting of -a platform 12 provided with supporting legs 14 having .wheels or casters 16 at their lower ends so as to provide for ready mobility of the apparatus. Rigidly mounted on the carriage 10 is a vertical column 18 which preferably is of square hollow cross-section. The column V18 extends downwardly below the platform 12 and is .rigidly fixed in position by `support structure including braces 20.

Mounted for vertical movement within the column 18 is an elongated member 22 which is also formed of square cross-section, as best illustrated in Figure 4. Means are provided for raising the elongated member 22 relative to the column 13 and this means preferably comprises .spring units including spring housings 24 opening toward the column 18 and having flanges 26 welded .or otherwise secured to the at lsides of the column 18. Within the spring housings 24 are spirally wound springs 28 mounted on pins 30. The springs .2S are of a well known type adapted to apply substantial uniform force when unwound. Located within opposite sides of theV column 1S at the open sides of the housings 24 are openings 32 that receive the free ends of the springs 28. At the free ends of the springs 28 are hook elements 34 adapted to extend into openings 36 provided vin the opposite sides of the elongated member 22. As va result .of this construction the springs 28 are adapted -to apply a substantial constant force tending to elevate the elongated member 22. The number of springs employed will of course depend upon the weight which is lto be elevated, including the devices to be assembled in .uniformly spaced at the sides thereof with respect tothe column 18. As seen in this gure the guide means are illustrated as guide or bearing blocks 40. These guide 4or bearing vblocks may be welded or otherwise Ysecured adjacent the corners and adjacent the lower end of the elon- .gated member 22, or alternatively, they may be secured to the inner corners of the column 18. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the bearing blocks 40 are provided adjacent the lower end of the elongated member 22 and a second set of such bearing blocks is carried by the column 18 adjacent the upper end thereof.

At its upper end the elongated member 22 is provided with an outwardly extending radial Wall 42 terminating in .an upwardly extending annular ilange 44 providing va Bearing means indicated generally at 4S is provided and a swivel plate 50 having a -depending cylindrical stem 52 is carried by said bearing. Wear plates '54 and 56 are provided to engage `opposite sides of the balls 58 of the bearing structure and support the swivel plate Si) for angular adjustment about the vertical axis of the stem 52.

As best illustrated in Figures 2 and 7, a frame indicated generally at 60 is mounted on the swivel plate 50. Preferably, the swivel plate 50 includes longitudinally extend- .ing Varms 62, and U-shaped brackets 64 carrying rollers 66 are secured to said arms 62 adjacent their Vouter ends. The material of the swivel plate 50 isstruckout to provide material for guards 68 including horizontally extenddue to localized concentration of weight thereon.

Ving flange portions 70 adapted to overlie the rollers 66 ends by transversely extending angle irons 74. The angle irons 72, as best illustrated in Figure 7, include inwardly extending horizontal flanges '76 adapted to rest upon the rollers 66 and to extend beneath the guard flanges 70.

As a result of this construction the flanges 7G prevent up- Ward movement of the frame 6i) or tipping of `the frame Extending upwardly from the angle irons 72 are brackets 80 shaped cross-section and includes upwardly extending anges 88 between which is journaled a roller 90. VEach of the roller supports 86 also includes an upwardly extending guard 92 terminating in a horizontally extending guard ange 94 which overlies the adjacent roller.90.

Mounted for movement transversely of the frame 60 are a pair of article supporting members indicated Igenerally at 96. The article supporting members 96 may fcomprise bars 98 herein illustrated as formed of Wood v but which may be of any suitable material. Mounted on the upper surface of the bars 98 are pads 100 which may be formed of rubber or the like and which engage the under surface of the article or device A carried thereby.

Extending longitudinally beneath the bar 98 is an elongated inverted channel member Itii2, the ends of the channel member 102 being connected to the bar 98 by members 104 thereby leaving an elongated slot or space 106 between the lower surface of the bar 98 and the Yupper surface Vof the channel member 192.

d As best seen in Figure l0, the guard iiange 94 extends into the space 106 and retains the channel member 102 in position on the rollers 9). In addition, as will be readily apparent, members 194 constitute end abutments to limit movement of the supports 96.

The apparatus is capable of widely divergent uses but Vwill be described in conjunction with the erection of ar-V ticles such as lighting xtures A adapted to be elevated and inserted into recesses in a ceiling. For this purpose it is necessary to provide exact registration between the article A and supporting structureY provided therefor within the recess. Obviously, of course, the utility would be equally great if the lighting fixture were intended to be secured to supporting structure provided'on the ceiling rather than in a recess provided therein.

The carriage 10 is readily mobile and may be moved toY a position generally'beneath the location of the xture to be mounted. The strength and/or number of springs 28 interconnecting the hollow column 18 and the vertical elongated members 22 is selected so as to provide for vertical movement of the article when placed in position on the article supporting members 96. When the article approaches its intended position it will normally be somewhat out of alignment therewith either longitudinally, laterally, or angularly. inasmuch as the frame 69 is longitudinally movable onthe rollers 66 and the swivel plate S0 is angularly adjustable in a horizontal plane about the axis of the column 18, it is readily possible to adjust the article A so as to bejin alignment with the mounting. The article supports 96 are independently ad- Y justable and since the article normallyrests freely upon the resilient pads 100, it is possible lto 'etfect line Vadjustment of the article A by moving one or the other lof the articlesupports 96 to bring the corresponding end of the article A into registration with the mounting structure on the ceiling. Y Y

' which may conveniently be formed of straps secured atr Y `tive to said plate.

While it is possible to connect the article supports 96 into a unitary sub-frame adjustable as a unit transverse to the length of the frame 60, it is found greatly preferable to provide for independent adjustment of the article supports 96. This is particularly true where the article to be mounted in overhead relation is 'a relatively long article since normally such an article will be connected to its overhead supporting structure first at one end and then at the other. With the present arrangement it is possible to bring one end of the article into exact registration with its supporting structure and to connect it thereto. Thereafter, the necessary small adjustments of the other end of the article may be made by independent adjustment of the remaining article support, which of course would be impossible if the two article supports were rigidly interconnected for unitary movement.

Inasmuch as the apparatus is designed to effect automatic lifting of the article it is apparent that after the article has been assembled with its ceiling support, effort is required to lower the vertically movable part of the apparatus. The springs may however, be selected such that this effort is only slightly greater than the -actual weight of the article and this effort is applied only during lower- Ving of the support structure in order to permit placement of a new article thereon. This Vof course is a much simpler `operation than would be required if effort were required to elevate the article and retain it in elevated position while it was adjusted into registration with the supporting structure and attaching means were applied to secure the article in such structure.

If desired, means may be provided elfective to retain the vertically movable portion of the apparatus in depressed condition prior to placement `of an article thereon. Such means for example may comprise a pin such as illustrated at 110, carried by a chain or the like 112 and Yadapted to be inserted through an opening 114 in the column 18 and into a corresponding hole in the elongated .element 22 which registers with the opening 114 when the supporting structure is in depressed position.

Instead of providing springs for elevating the vertically movable portion of the apparatus, it would be possible to employ power means such for example as a motor. However, the spring means illustrated herein vhave been found to be perfectly satisfactory and represent a simplification in structure as well as an economy in producing the apparatus, and accordingly, the spring means illustrated herein is preferred.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute f a description of the improved erection apparatus in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. Apparatus of the character described comprising a generally rectangular plate having guide rollers rotatably mounted adjacent the corners thereof, said plate having portions extending laterally outwardly above and adjacent said rollers, an open rectangular frame having side frame adjacent said plate and having laterally extending portions resting upon and supported by said rollers, the

laterally extending portions of said frame underlying and cooperating with the laterally extending portions aforesaid of said plate to prevent said frame from tilting rela- 3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a substantially horizontal plate, a frame adjacent said plate, and means for supporting said frame upon said plate for movement relative thereto and operable to prevent the frame om tilting relative to said plate, including brackets mounted on top of said plate, rollers carried by and projecting above said brackets, and overlapping elements carried respectively by said plate and frame and overlying said rollers, certain of said overlapping elements resting upon and being supported by said rollers.

References Cited inthe ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 20, 

